The Clear the Air coalition released the following statement today in response to calls from proponents of Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), or government-run energy, urging Mayor Kevin Faulconer to place the issue before the City Council for a vote:

​“We applaud Mayor Kevin Faulconer for not rushing into this decision. A government-run energy program in San Diego would expose taxpayers to significant financial risk.

“Earlier this year, the mayor said the city should not consider CCA until it knows what such a program would cost taxpayers, and those costs are still unknown because state regulators have yet to establish a new fee structure for CCAs. When that information is available the city should conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine if a CCA is worth the risk and whether a statewide energy solution is a better choice for San Diego.

​“State lawmakers recently established a new 100% clean energy mandate for California that essentially creates the same outcome CCA proponents desire with no risk to San Diego taxpayers.

“Our coalition supports the city’s clean energy goals, but we don’t want to gamble with the city’s financial future. The prudent path is the one the mayor chose. The city needs to know what a government-run energy program would cost taxpayers before it can make an informed decision.”

About: The Clear the Air Coalition is a group of business, environmental, civic and taxpayer leaders working to ensure a diverse range of voices is heard and important questions are answered before critical decisions are made about San Diego’s energy and climate future. Learn more at: www.clearair.usFollow us at: @cleartheaircoand facebook.com/cleartheairco

Diana Yescas’ life improved after she moved into an apartment at Paradise Creek, an affordable-housing complex on the west side of National City.

The single mother and her two daughters, ages 7 and 8, went from living in a tiny 1-bedroom apartment with pest infestations and no heater to a more comfortable and larger 2-bedroom unit at Paradise Creek on Hoover Avenue.

“My daughters and I are blessed to have a place in this new community,” Yescas said.

​She was among the residents who moved into the 109 apartments that made up the first phase of the $100 million development.

It’s clear government-controlled energy, or Community Choice Aggregation, is not delivering on its promises to provide greener and cheaper energy. CCAs are not delivering on the fundamental need of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

So why are we seeing more CCAs, aka Community Choice Energy, surface in California? Why is the San Diego City Council considering forming what would be one of the largest government-controlled energy programs in the state? And just who is behind this scheme?

​As San Diego’s former mayor, Jerry Sanders, pointed out recently, government-controlled energy programs are surfacing because cities are being forced to try and implement their own Climate Action Plans. But CCAs fall well short of achieving the goal of these plans: 100 percent renewable energy.